BIOMIMICRY


With 3D printing we can actually imitate life’s structures, but we need to get it right and use a small material palette. In the natural world there are only about fi ve common materials that are used over and over again


skimmed milk. The tower's surface is highly porous, which increases the surface area cov- ered by titanium dioxide.


RESPONSIVE BUILDINGS


One of the key elements of biomimetic design is responsiveness to natural elements. Sensor systems that mimic the communication pat- terns of bees have been developed to regulate the energy consumption of home appliances, allowing them to work more effi ciently at peak hours. Los Angeles-based architect Doris Sung prefers a less technically inten- sive approach. Sung has developed a building skin of thermo-bimetals that ‘breathe’ in order to heat or cool a building. Originally trained as a biologist before studying architecture, Sung says she was in grad school, working all day in air-conditioned buildings, when she wondered why building skins couldn't be more like human skin. "I thought archi- tecture should be an extension of the human body," she says. Her concept is deceptively simple: thin sheets of digitally fabricated


metal expand and contract in response to solar energy, curling down to provide shade on sunny days and curling up to allow in light when it is dark. A similar process creates openings for ventilation on hot days while retaining warm air when it is cool. Sung put the materials to work last year


in Bloom, an experimental installation in Los Angeles, and she has designed a house clad in thermo-bimetals for a developer in mainland China. "The cost is actually reasonable," she says. "The hurdles we have to get past are building safety and permit approvals." Because the metal sheets are loose and movable, they are not certifi ed for use as construction mate- rials in the United States. Obtaining approval would require hundreds of thousands of dollars in testing. It's an irony that should come as no surprise to architects: material innovation has outpaced regulatory innovation. Thanks to digital fabrication, it has never been easier to turn novel designs into reality, but applying those designs to architecture might require a similarly proactive response from regulators.


Inspired by lichen, Aedas designed the Mongkok Residence with green walls to improve air quality


Above: architect Doris Sung has developed a building skin made of thermo-metals that breathes like human skin. Top pic: Sung’s Bloom installation uses the new ‘skin’


52 CLADGLOBAL.COM


CLADmag 2015 ISSUE 1


IMAGE: AEDAS


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